What happened in 1988

“Roll With It”

Steve Winwood · 4 weeks at #1 in 1988

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1. Jan 2FaithGeorge Michael1 wk
2. Jan 9So EmotionalWhitney Houston1 wk
3. Jan 16Got My Mind Set On YouGeorge Harrison1 wk
4. Jan 23The Way You Make Me FeelMichael Jackson1 wk
5. Jan 30Need You TonightINXS1 wk
6. Feb 6Could've BeenTiffany2 wks
7. Feb 20Seasons ChangeExpose1 wk
8. Feb 27Father FigureGeorge Michael2 wks
9. Mar 12Never Gonna Give You UpRick Astley2 wks
10. Mar 26Man In The MirrorMichael Jackson2 wks
11. Apr 9Get Outta My Dreams, Get Into My CarBilly Ocean2 wks
12. Apr 23Where Do Broken Hearts GoWhitney Houston2 wks
13. May 7Wishing WellTerence Trent D'Arby1 wk
14. May 14Anything For YouGloria Estefan & Miami Sound Machine2 wks
15. May 28One More TryGeorge Michael3 wks
16. Jun 18Together ForeverRick Astley1 wk
17. Jun 25Foolish BeatDebbie Gibson1 wk
18. Jul 2Dirty DianaMichael Jackson1 wk
19. Jul 9The FlameCheap Trick2 wks
20. Jul 23Hold On To The NightsRichard Marx1 wk
21. Jul 30Roll With ItSteve Winwood4 wks
22. Aug 27MonkeyGeorge Michael2 wks
23. Sep 10Sweet Child O' MineGuns N' Roses2 wks
24. Sep 24Don't Worry, Be Happy (From "Cocktail")Bobby McFerrin2 wks
25. Oct 8Love BitesDef Leppard1 wk
26. Oct 15Red Red WineUB401 wk
27. Oct 22Groovy Kind Of LovePhil Collins2 wks
28. Nov 5Kokomo (From"Cocktail" )The Beach Boys1 wk
29. Nov 12Wild, Wild WestThe Escape Club1 wk
30. Nov 19Bad MedicineBon Jovi2 wks
31. Dec 3Baby, I Love Your Way/Freebird MedleyWill To Power1 wk
32. Dec 10Look AwayChicago2 wks
33. Dec 24Every Rose Has Its ThornPoison2 wks

Dates are the first chart week at #1 in 1988; weeks count only those in 1988.Find the #1 song on your birthday →

1. Jun 1The Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty was ratified, banning all American and Soviet land-based missiles with a range of 500 to 5,500 km (310 to 3,420 mi).
2. Jun 4Three cars on a train carrying hexogen to Kazakhstan explode in Arzamas, Gorky Oblast, USSR, killing 91 and injuring about 1,500.
3. Jul 3The US Navy warship Vincennes shot down Iran Air Flight 655 over the Persian Gulf, killing all 290 people aboard.
4. Jul 6The Piper Alpha drilling platform in the North Sea is destroyed by explosions and fires. One hundred sixty-seven oil workers are killed, making it the world's worst offshore oil disaster in terms of direct loss of life.
5. Aug 20Iran–Iraq War: A ceasefire is agreed after almost eight years of war.
6. Aug 20More than 150,000 acres (610 km2) were burned on the worst day of the largest wildfire in the recorded history of Yellowstone National Park in the United States.
7. Oct 5During the United States vice-presidential debate, Democratic candidate Lloyd Bentsen told his opponent Dan Quayle, "Senator, you're no Jack Kennedy."
8. Nov 2The Morris worm, the first Internet-distributed computer worm to gain significant mainstream media attention, is launched from MIT.
9. Nov 8U.S. Vice President George H. W. Bush is elected as the 41st president.
10. Nov 15The Soviet spacecraft Buran, a reusable vehicle built in response to NASA's Space Shuttle program, was launched, uncrewed, on its only flight.
11. Nov 16In the first open election in more than a decade, voters in Pakistan elect populist candidate Benazir Bhutto to be Prime Minister of Pakistan.
12. Nov 22The B-2 Spirit stealth bomber of the United States Air Force was first displayed in public at Air Force Plant 42 in Palmdale, California.
13. Dec 1Benazir Bhutto, is named as the Prime Minister of Pakistan, becoming the first female leader to lead a Muslim nation.
14. Dec 2Benazir Bhutto took office as Prime Minister of Pakistan, becoming the first woman to head the government of a Muslim-majority state.

Event summaries from Wikipedia’s “On this day”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Each links to its article.

• U.S. President

  Ronald Reagan

• UK Prime Minister

  Margaret Thatcher

• Prime Minister of Canada

  Brian Mulroney

• President of France

  François Mitterrand

• German Chancellor

  Helmut Kohl

• Prime Minister of Japan

  Noboru Takeshita

• Soviet leader

  Mikhail Gorbachev

Everyone who held the office at some point in 1988, from Wikidata.

A selection of the best-documented titles on Wikidata, by first release year; not a box-office ranking.

• Haley BennettAmerican actress and singer · Jan 7
• SkrillexAmerican DJ and producer · Jan 15
• JaVale McGeeAmerican basketball player · Jan 19
• Jake AuchinclossAmerican politician, businessman, and Marine veteran · Jan 29
• Zosia MametAmerican actress · Feb 2
• Matthew StaffordAmerican football player · Feb 7
• Benny BlancoAmerican record producer · Mar 8
• Ego NwodimAmerican actress · Mar 10
• Stephen CurryAmerican basketball player · Mar 14
• Lil DickyAmerican rapper, comedian, and actor · Mar 15

From Wikipedia’s “On this day”, CC BY-SA 4.0.